Push-switch.



C. A. BATES.

PUSH SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED JUNE'26,1913.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT .onnron. I

CLARENCE A. BATES, O-F BBIDGEPORT; CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE BRYANT ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- NECTICUT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filedtJune 2%, 1913. Serial No. 775,940.

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To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CLARENCE A. BATES, a citizen of the'United States of America, and residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Pusl1-Switehes, of which the followtively embodied; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof partially broken away to show the position of the push button at the moment just preceding the making of the contactthereby; and Fig. 3 is a dropped elevation partially in section showing the construc tionof the push button mechanism.

The switch here illustrated is of the type commonly used in hospitals and installed at the side of the beds within reach of the patient to enable the latter to readily call an attendant in case of need. The switch casing 5 comprises the usual pear-shaped handle of insulation with longitudinal perforation to admit the wires 6 and 7 at one end and the push button 8 at the other end.

A radial perforation 9 permits the insertion- 5 of a set screw 10 which engages the metallic thimble 11 which forms the frame of the switch mechanism and holds the latter in Wire terminals-15and16 mounted at the upper d f he'i sul'ating button 17 seated atthe upper end of; the, thi'mble 11 and held in position by set screwsl ,"are' provided 9 with inwardly projecting flanges 11.9 adapt-' 1 ed tojb e engaged' by the p'ush pin'1necha nism.-- The push button '8 and its. contacts 2Q, 21, are 's.o. .p ronoi;tioned "with relation to the contacts 19 vth'at't-h'e' buttonv '8 must be depressed beyond the lower level ofithe'.

PUSH-SWITCH.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

handle 5 before the contacts are brought into engagement with the terminal flanges 19. The position of the button 8 is shown 1n Fig. 2 at the moment just preceding the engagement of the contacts on the push button with the flanges 19 on the wire ter-' minals. It is thus impossible to accidentally close the signal circuit, should the handle 5 be dropped upon the floor, since even should the handle fall withits push button end flat on the floor, the push button being thereby depressed, the circuit would still not be closed, since the button contacts will not engage the terminal flanges 19 until the button 8has been pressed in beyond the plane of the lower edges of the handle 5. It has heretofore been customary also to make thepush button contact in the form of a plunger which engages sprlng contacts on the ternnnals 15,-16. It frequently happens that the plunger is engaged with such friction that it becomes wedged injposition and fails to return to the normal open position of the switch. To avoid this difliculty, I. have mounted upon the button a pair of'spring contacts 20, 21, formed from a strip ofspring sheet metal bent to-shape. Aswill be noted from Fig. ,3 the upper ends of these contacts are inclined toward each other so that they enter between the flanges 19 on the wire terminals 15, 16. As the result of this construction, the terminals are pressed toward each other in the closed position of the switch and their tendency is to force the button out "of its engaging position so thatthere is no danger of the contacts thereon becoming frictionally engaged and wedged. between the contacts on the terminals 15 16. To permit the button to swivel with'relation to its contacts 20, 21, the latter are rotatably secured thereon by means of a spread rivet 22 which passes through a perforation in the base 23 of the contacts.

The passage 30 in the upper portion of the insulating button 17 is rectangular in cross section as usual,'so that the contacts 20, 21 areconstantly held in position to engage the terminals 19.

As above stated the wire terminals 15 and 16 are carried by a button 17 of insulating material which is cylindrically shouldered I at 2 1 to enter the thi mble.11.- It is also internally shouldered at 25 to form the seat for one 'endof the coil. spring 26 which bears at its other end. against-the shoulder i 27 on the push button, thus tending to constantly forcethe latter outward into the open position of the switch. The internal shoulder 28 on the thimble '11 prevents the escape of the push button 8 under the influence of the spring 26.

Various modifications of the construction described will readily suggest themselves and I do not limit myself to the precise details shown which are to be regarded as merely an illustrative embodiment of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A pendant switch of the character described, comprising a body of insulating material adapted to be grasped by the hand, said body being longitudinally perforated to afford a switch chamber opening to one end and a wire entrance aperture opening to the opposite end thereof, a switch frame, wire and switch terminals carried thereby, means for mounting said frame within the switch chamber and a push button. slidably mounted in said frame and carrying a switch piece adapted to electrically connect the switch terminals only upon the depression I of said button inwardly beyondthe plane of the end of the switch body.

9. A pendantpush button switch having an insulating body adapted to be grasped in the hand and longitudinally perforated to admit leading-in wires atone end and a push button at the opposite end, a switch frame within the body, binding screw wire terminals carried thereby and projecting from the frame toward the wire-entrance end of the body, switch terminal flanges struck from said wire terminals and angled ard each other, a push button sliding in said frame and spring contacts carried by said button and adapted to enter between the said switch terminal flanges to complete the switch circuit, substantially as described.

3. A pendant push button switch having a body of insulating material adapted to be grasped by the hand, and chambered to receive a switch frame atone end and leadingin wires at the other end, a switch frame mounted in said body and carrying stationary switch terminals, a push button slidable in said frame, a contact piece mount-- ed on the inner end ofsaid button and swiveling with relation thereto and means for guiding said contact piece into engagement with the switch terminals and holding it against rotation, whereby said push button is free to swivel with relation to said contact piece without displacing it from position to engage the stationary switch terminals, substantially as described.

4. A pendant switch of the character described comprising a body of insulating material adapted to be grasped by the hand, said body being longitudinally perforated to afford a switch chamber opening to one end and a wire entrance aperture opening to the opposite end thereof, an internal shoulder at the switch end of the body, a switch frame seated against said shoulder, means for holding said frame in positiop, an insulating butt-on carried at-the inner end of said frame, a pair of wire terminals mounted on said insulating button and projecting toward the wire ent-ranceend of the switch body, switch terminals electrically connectedhwith said wire terminals, a push button working in the outer end of said frame, a spring confined between said insulating button and push button and serving to constantly force the latter outward, together with spring switch contacts adapted to enter between said switch terminals to complete the switch. circuit, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, CLARENCE A. BATES. \Vitnesses G. W. Goonmnen, II. M. WIEBERT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 01' Patents, washing-ton, D. C. 

